Showing posts with label gourmet camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gourmet camping. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Kelty Base Camp Kitchen

Wanna spice up your camping repertoire?  Literally?  Making elaborate meals outside is so much fun, and if you're car camping, why hold back.  Kelty's Base Camp Kitchen will keep you organized, facilitate preparing more complicated meals (bye bye ramen and oatmeal), and keep picnic table space free.  Also--it's light weight at 18lbs which is important.  I once had an REI camp kitchen, but it was so big and heavy (around 30lbs) that it was unwieldy for me to manage myself and ultimately too much trouble to bother with.  The Kelty is something I can handle on my own and find well worth the effort.

It comes in a carry case, and set up is simple, the whole thing unfolds and comes together with ease and tears down just as easily.  There's a storage compartment for gear (it's a pantry, but I'd be very careful about storing food in there, we put ours in the car while we sleep lest racoons or bears decide to raid the kitchen).  The whole unit is compatible with Kelty's Binto system, but works wonderful without it. 

There's a space for your two burner stove with a removable wind screen, and two counters for food prep.  There's also plenty of extra space for hanging tools and towels, and a handy shelf under the stove which we used to store water.  It really makes cooking at camp such a pleasure.  We made black beans and rice, stir fry, and blueberry pancakes, among other things, and it couldn't have been easier. 

Having a kitchen area at your camp site just makes things run smoother, particularly if you have kids.  The more organized you are, the more time you have for play, and this definitely makes food prep go faster.  Once you use this, you won't want to go without it and you'll wonder how you managed before.  It's a big upgrade to the car camping experience.  Find it HERE.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Gourmet on the Go with GSI's Kitchen 23


GSI's Kitchen 23 was designed with camping in mind, but I think it's great for travel too.  With pretty much everything you need to create healthy gourmet dishes, this 23 piece portable kit is fabulous for car camping and for car travel.  It comes in a sleek carry case with a semi-hard shell to keep your supplies organized and protected.  You can remove certain items and add your own preferences, and there's room inside for more stuff if you'd like to include extras.  I added some Dr. Bronners biodegradable soap and some utensils and additional spices and there is still room for more.

A hearty well prepared meal is such a treat on camping trips.  Food tastes so much better outdoors and after a day of adventure, it's even more pleasurable.  Figuring out all the stuff you need for food prep can be tedious, as well as trying to keep it all organized.  The Kitchen 23 does it for you.  You got your silverware, your salt and pepper shaker, condiment containers, grater, whisk (for those blueberry pancakes), cutting board, and more.

I love it for travel because when you are on the road, it can be hard to find healthy food.  With this and a knowledge of where the organic foods stores are, and maybe a few other things like a hot plate, you can create healthy meals right in your hotel room.  Hint:  The holidays are coming and his would make a fabulous gift for the outdoorsy gourmet type.  Find it on the GSI Outdoors Website.